Two of New Zealand\u2019s most rare and beloved animals \u2013 a large flightless takah\u0113 bird and an ancient tuatara reptile \u2013 have been captured chasing and nipping at one another during a bush-floor melee.<\/p>\n
Nick Fisentzidis, a department of conservation ranger on the pest-free Tiritiri Matangi Island near Auckland, saw the takah\u0113 attack the tuatara and quickly grabbed his phone to capture the rare footage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw them having a bit of a nip at each other,\u201d Fisentzidis said. \u201cThe takah\u0113 definitely had a go at the tail of the tuatara, and they had a bit of a scrap.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video shows the takah\u0113 in hot pursuit of the tuatara, but the tables turn when the reptile squares up to the bird.<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed them down the hill, and the tuatara got a couple of bites in, so the takah\u0113 backed off and snuck back away up the forest,\u201d Fisentzidis said.<\/p>\n
The rotund blue takah\u0113 was declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers\u2019 animal companions: stoats, cats, ferrets and rats. After their rediscovery in 1948, their numbers are now at about 500, growing at about 8% a year.<\/p>\n
The tuatara are commonly referred to as a \u201cliving fossil\u201d and are the sole survivor of the ancient reptile order Sphenodontia, which walked the Earth with dinosaurs 225m years ago.<\/p>\n
They can reproduce past the age of 100 and live up to 200 years, making them one of the longest-living creatures. They are considered \u201cat risk\u201d and survive primarily on a small number of offshore, predator-free islands.<\/p>\n
Takah\u0113 and tuatara only coexist in two locations: Tiritiri Matangi and Zealandia, an urban eco-sanctuary in Wellington.<\/p>\n
Fisentzidis said the footage was a \u201cneat snapshot\u201d of how these species may have interacted in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also shows what\u2019s possible \u2026 if we really start to rally together to bring more of our native wildlife back.\u201d<\/p>\n